Teen Literacy Tips http://www.nicksenger.com/blog Working to Improve the Teaching of Literature Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:07:55 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 teaching,teens,adolescents,education,reading,literature,literacy,homeschooling,school,middle,school,high,schoolEducation/K-12teenliteracy@nicksenger.comNick SengerNick Sengernoteaching,teens,adolescents,education,reading,literature,literacy,homeschooling,school,middle,school,high,schoolHelping Teachers Turn Teens into Better ReadersImprove the literacy and thinking skills of your teenage students. Produced by award-winning educator Nick Senger.nicksengerhttp://feedburner.google.com Use Social Networks to Teach Kids about Literature http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nicksenger/~3/InJP8Seaez0/use-social-networks-to-teach-kids-about-literature http://www.nicksenger.com/blog/use-social-networks-to-teach-kids-about-literature#comments Tue, 16 Mar 2010 11:13:49 +0000 teenliteracy@nicksenger.com (Nick Senger) http://www.nicksenger.com/blog/?p=266 Megan Pavelich

Megan Pavelich

Megan Palevich of Middle School 101 has a must-see project for teachers who want to tap into students’ use of social networking to bring literary or historical people to life. Students create fake Facebook, Twitter and instant message interactions between characters or historical people. Everything is done with templates that students work on in class or at home, so there’s no need for them to actually log in to the social networking sites. It’s an innovative, motivating idea, and one that students are sure to love.

The original instructions are posted as a Google Document here, so be sure to check it out and let her know how you like it.

Thanks to Kelly Tenkely’s Stories of Learning blog for posting the article that introduced me to the project.

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]]> http://www.nicksenger.com/blog/use-social-networks-to-teach-kids-about-literature/feed 0 http://www.nicksenger.com/blog/use-social-networks-to-teach-kids-about-literature Rare Archival Video Footage of Poe, Dickens and other Classic Writers http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nicksenger/~3/FLx0iIuvvKU/rare-archival-video-footage-of-poe-dickens-and-other-classic-writers http://www.nicksenger.com/blog/rare-archival-video-footage-of-poe-dickens-and-other-classic-writers#comments Wed, 03 Mar 2010 18:20:27 +0000 teenliteracy@nicksenger.com (Nick Senger) http://www.nicksenger.com/blog/?p=257 Charles Dickens, Emily Dickinson, Edgar Allen Poe, John Keats and other classic writers read from their works in these rare archival videos.  How, you may wonder, is there video footage of John Keats when he died in 1821?The answer is some amazing animation and technical wizardry from Jim Clark.  Take a look at the following examples:

What a great way to bring literature to life in the classroom!  Watch a few of the videos and let us know which ones are your favorites by leaving a comment.

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]]> http://www.nicksenger.com/blog/rare-archival-video-footage-of-poe-dickens-and-other-classic-writers/feed 0 http://www.nicksenger.com/blog/rare-archival-video-footage-of-poe-dickens-and-other-classic-writers Black Eyed Peas and Ocoee Middle School Keep Kids Reading http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nicksenger/~3/ifOTsEw60WE/black-eyed-peas-and-ocoee-middle-school-keep-kids-reading http://www.nicksenger.com/blog/black-eyed-peas-and-ocoee-middle-school-keep-kids-reading#comments Sat, 27 Feb 2010 16:29:45 +0000 teenliteracy@nicksenger.com (Nick Senger) http://www.nicksenger.com/blog/?p=251 The Black Eyed Peas’ flash mob for Oprah inspired this fantastic reading video by the staff and students at Ocoee Middle School in Florida.  Enjoy it, and be sure to share it with your students and colleagues:

They had a little professional help, but what a great idea! Leave a comment if you know of similar videos promoting reading and I’ll update this post by embedding them below.

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]]> http://www.nicksenger.com/blog/black-eyed-peas-and-ocoee-middle-school-keep-kids-reading/feed 0 http://www.nicksenger.com/blog/black-eyed-peas-and-ocoee-middle-school-keep-kids-reading Create Online Quizzes Free with Google Docs http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nicksenger/~3/4dOxNd8FPX0/create-online-quizzes-free-with-google-docs http://www.nicksenger.com/blog/create-online-quizzes-free-with-google-docs#comments Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:03:55 +0000 teenliteracy@nicksenger.com (Nick Senger) http://www.nicksenger.com/blog/?p=243 Wesley Fryer of Moving at the Speed of Creativity has a great post on using Google Docs for creating online quizzes. Wesley’s post includes two videos: the first shows how to create an online quiz, and in the second Wesley explains how to automate the grading of the quiz using if-then formulas.

The main point of the article is that Google forms now support branching surveys, so that survey-takers can be routed to different pages dependent on their answers.

It’s been so long since I used Google Docs, I wasn’t even aware online forms could be created.  Thanks, Wesley!

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]]> http://www.nicksenger.com/blog/create-online-quizzes-free-with-google-docs/feed 0 http://www.nicksenger.com/blog/create-online-quizzes-free-with-google-docs Shakespeare Teaches the Birds and the Bees with Sonnet 2 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nicksenger/~3/yYKvvEkGbWs/shakespeare-teaches-the-birds-and-the-bees-with-sonnet-2 http://www.nicksenger.com/blog/shakespeare-teaches-the-birds-and-the-bees-with-sonnet-2#comments Wed, 18 Mar 2009 17:19:06 +0000 teenliteracy@nicksenger.com (Nick Senger) http://www.nicksenger.com/blog/?p=237 Schmoop LogoI was amused this morning when I read a tweet from helloSchmoop comparing Shakespeare’s Sonnet 2 to a parent giving their child “the talk.” You can see for yourself what they mean by visiting Schmoop’s Sonnet 2 page. You’ll find a nutshell summary, the text of the poem itself, a brief analysis, an extended analysis, themes and study questions, and much more.

If you’re looking for interesting and relevant Shakespeare resources, be sure to check out Schmoop, a site “lovingly created by Ph.D. and Masters students from top universities.” I’ve just started looking into the site myself, and it looks like a must-have resource for literature and history teachers.

If you use Schmoop, leave a comment sharing your opinion.

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]]> http://www.nicksenger.com/blog/shakespeare-teaches-the-birds-and-the-bees-with-sonnet-2/feed 0 http://www.nicksenger.com/blog/shakespeare-teaches-the-birds-and-the-bees-with-sonnet-2 Kindle Unboxing Video from CrunchGear http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nicksenger/~3/D2K3Mb2aCmY/kindle-unboxing-video-from-crunchgear http://www.nicksenger.com/blog/kindle-unboxing-video-from-crunchgear#comments Tue, 24 Feb 2009 21:17:04 +0000 teenliteracy@nicksenger.com (Nick Senger) http://www.nicksenger.com/blog/?p=231 While I’m still waiting for my Kindle 2 e-reader (it should be here in the day or two), John Biggs over at CrunchGear has already received his. His unboxing video may not convince anyone to buy a Kindle 2, but it does help people like me pass the time until their own Kindle arrives.

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]]> http://www.nicksenger.com/blog/kindle-unboxing-video-from-crunchgear/feed 0 http://www.nicksenger.com/blog/kindle-unboxing-video-from-crunchgear My Kindle Is On the Way! http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nicksenger/~3/h2jO-MFEeKc/my-kindle-is-on-the-way http://www.nicksenger.com/blog/my-kindle-is-on-the-way#comments Thu, 12 Feb 2009 04:28:24 +0000 teenliteracy@nicksenger.com (Nick Senger) http://www.nicksenger.com/blog/?p=224 Thanks to your contributions, my Kindle 2 is on the way! I appreciate all those who donated via Paypal or shopped at Amazon through this site. According to Amazon, the Kindle should arrive around February 26. As promised, I’ll write a review of its functionality and how I use it in the classroom.

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]]> http://www.nicksenger.com/blog/my-kindle-is-on-the-way/feed 0 http://www.nicksenger.com/blog/my-kindle-is-on-the-way Can U Read This? http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nicksenger/~3/2OhPq948FlI/can-u-read-this http://www.nicksenger.com/blog/can-u-read-this#comments Thu, 12 Feb 2009 03:59:14 +0000 teenliteracy@nicksenger.com (Nick Senger) http://www.nicksenger.com/blog/?p=217 Does this mean we should stop teaching students to spell? :-)

Cambridge Reading Study

Cambridge Reading Study

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]]> http://www.nicksenger.com/blog/can-u-read-this/feed 1 http://www.nicksenger.com/blog/can-u-read-this This Week’s Teaching Tips and News – February 9, 2009 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nicksenger/~3/6tsz8GxxNLw/this-weeks-teaching-tips-and-news-february-9-2009 http://www.nicksenger.com/blog/this-weeks-teaching-tips-and-news-february-9-2009#comments Mon, 09 Feb 2009 11:00:04 +0000 teenliteracy@nicksenger.com (Nick Senger) http://www.nicksenger.com/blog/this-weeks-teaching-tips-and-news-february-9-2009 Today's articles for teachers from around the web: Share/Bookmark


]]> http://www.nicksenger.com/blog/this-weeks-teaching-tips-and-news-february-9-2009/feed 0 http://www.nicksenger.com/blog/this-weeks-teaching-tips-and-news-february-9-2009 This Week’s Teaching Tips and News – February 2, 2009 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/nicksenger/~3/aJ6R1IZZbOg/this-weeks-teaching-tips-and-news-february-2-2009 http://www.nicksenger.com/blog/this-weeks-teaching-tips-and-news-february-2-2009#comments Mon, 02 Feb 2009 11:02:21 +0000 teenliteracy@nicksenger.com (Nick Senger) http://www.nicksenger.com/blog/this-weeks-teaching-tips-and-news-february-2-2009 Today's articles for teachers from around the web: Share/Bookmark


]]> http://www.nicksenger.com/blog/this-weeks-teaching-tips-and-news-february-2-2009/feed 0 http://www.nicksenger.com/blog/this-weeks-teaching-tips-and-news-february-2-2009 Nick SengernonadultHelping Teachers Turn Teens into Better Readers